Part — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology
Part I. On the Necessity of the Act of Hope
I. Necessity of means. The act of hope, as was said about the act of faith, cannot be necessary except for adults. Besides, a distinction must again be made between adults not yet justified and adults justified. Now:
- The act of hope is necessary for salvation by necessity of means for adults not justified. For the said act is necessary by necessity of means for justification. But justification itself is necessary for salvation by necessity of means. Therefore the same thing must be affirmed about the act of hope.
The major is clear: 1. from the Council of Trent, which enumerates the act of hope among the dispositions necessary for the justification of adults;1 and elsewhere, speaking of the necessity of contrition for obtaining pardon of sins, teaches that in this contrition it is required that it be "with confidence in the divine mercy."2 2. It is confirmed by reason. For it is altogether fitting that, for the justification of an adult or for obtaining the right of possessing God, it be required that he have expected God as the supernatural end to be possessed.
But theologians dispute whether in every justification whatsoever of adults the act of theological hope is necessary, or only according to the common law. Perhaps it is more aptly said that according to the common law no justification of an adult takes place without an explicit act of theological hope, although absolutely it can happen that a sinner is justified while eliciting no act of hope except one which is implicitly contained in an act of perfect charity or contrition.
- The act of hope is necessary for justified adults by necessity of means insofar as salvation cannot be obtained without prayer by which grace for fulfilling the precepts is obtained. But prayer without hope receives nothing from the Lord, as is clear from the Epistle of St. James.3
Corollary. From what has been said, it is clear how deservedly the doctrine of the Quietists,4 both carnal and spiritual, was proscribed by Innocent XI5 and XII.6
3 James 1:6.
4 The Quietists, pseudo-mystics of the seventeenth century, taught that an act of hope, although honorable, is nevertheless useless and even harmful to perfect Christians, and therefore should never be elicited by them. Among them, some, who are called carnal Quietists, with Michael Molinos as leader, under pretext of preserving the soul's highest quiet, said that all acts of the other virtues too, together with acts of hope, were useless for the perfect; and, declaring themselves impeccable, fell into most grave sins. Others, who are called spiritual Quietists, thought that a Christian can attain a stable disposition, or a certain state of perfection, in which he would no longer ever act in view of eternal reward, indeed would acquiesce in eternal damnation. The principal supporter of this erroneous opinion was the most pious Fenelon, who nevertheless immediately rejected it in a wholly most humble and sincere manner when it had been condemned by the Supreme Pontiff.
5 Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1221 sq.
6 Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1327 sq.
II. Necessity of precept follows from the necessity of means explained. Besides, it is clear: 1. from Sacred Scripture;1 2. from these words of the Council of Trent: all must place and repose a most firm hope in the help of God;2 3. from proposition 1 condemned by Alexander VII: "At no time in his life is a man bound to elicit an act of faith, hope, and charity by force of the divine precepts pertaining to those virtues";3 4. from the fact that each person is bound to expect the ultimate end for which he was created, that is, beatitude (St. Alphonsus, II, 20).
Now the act of hope obliges:
- By reason of the precept of hope itself:
a) When someone first knows that eternal beatitude is his ultimate end (St. Alphonsus, II, 20).
b) Several times in life, and in the article of death, as was said of eliciting the act of faith several times in life and in the article of death (n. 489).
c) After an act of despair; in which case the injury done to the assisting power of God seems to carry with it the obligation of repairing it by an act of hope at least not long delayed.
d) When a grave temptation against hope presses, which someone judges he cannot conquer except by an elicited act of hope.
- By reason of the precept of another virtue:
a) When an act of another virtue is prescribed, which cannot be placed without an act of hope (St. Alphonsus, II, 20).
b) When a temptation against another virtue presses, which someone seems to himself unable to conquer without an act of hope (St. Alphonsus, II, 20).
c) When an act of virtue is freely placed which cannot be placed in the due manner without an act of hope.
Corollaries I and II. Compare and apply the notes regarding faith (n. 489).
Corollary III. To the act of hoping there corresponds the act of fearing eternal damnation, which likewise obliges, as is clear both from Sacred Scripture,4 and from the fact that each person must fear that which involves frustration of the ultimate end and will not certainly be avoided.5
3 Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1101.
4 Luke 12:5.
5 Council of Trent, session 6, chapters 12 and 13.